Turkey lifts veil on unemployment data, revealing bigger army of jobless A new, broader set of labor statistics has exposed a big gap between Turkey’s official unemployment rate and the actual joblessness in the crisis-hit country. Turkey
Rights group criticizes Jordan over debt imprisonment Human Rights Watch has highlighted the plight of poor Jordanians imprisoned for failing to pay back loans taken out to meet basic needs. Jordan
COVID accelerates evolution of Gulf economies The economic policy response to COVID-19 is an acceleration of specific trends already underway across the Gulf Cooperation Council members, variously affecting tax policy, labor market regulation and immigration policy. Saudi Arabia
Iran receives COVID-19 vaccine from Cuba Iran enjoys warm relations with the Latin American state and the two countries are also developing a coronavirus vaccine together. Iran
Russia eyes deeper economic engagement in Libya Moscow hopes to play a growing role in Libya’s economy, health-care system and educational programs. Libya
US sanctions threaten Iran’s high hopes for tourism While the reimposition of US sanctions is likely to damage the revival of Iran’s tourism sector at least in the short term, the country’s ambitious plans to attract foreign visitors should not be written off. United States
Egyptian camera bill stokes fears of surveillance state Some fear a draft law requiring public cafes and shops to use surveillance cameras threatens to turn Egypt into a surveillance state. Egypt
Putin, Macron explore what they have to offer each other on Iran, Syria The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum set the stage for French President Emmanuel Macron to pursue a broad agenda and perhaps bring his country and Russia closer regarding Syria and Iran. Syria
Egypt holds labor union elections amid accusations of government interference While labor union elections kicked off in Egypt for the first time in 12 years, activists accused the government of trying to control the outcome by excluding certain candidates. Egypt
Will Sadr’s victory impact Russia-Iraq relations? The pragmatism displayed by Iraq's Muqtada al-Sadr indicates that Moscow-Baghdad ties will continue — or even expand — when the new government is formed. Iraq
How US sanctions will impact Iranian startups While established Iranian startups are likely to withstand the impact of US sanctions, the return of increasing tension between Tehran and Washington will nonetheless choke investment and business confidence. Iran
Turkey’s agricultural decline rings alarm bells The Turkish government is under fire for mismanaging the agricultural sector, whose decline has sent food prices soaring and forced the importation of basic items such as wheat, beans, meat and even straw. Turkey
Turkish defense industry at critical juncture After significant progress on the domestic level, the Turkish defense industry has reached a challenging phase in which it needs to enhance its export capacity to ensure sustainable growth. Turkey
Egypt eyes World Cup as golden opportunity for economy After a 28-year absence, Egypt hopes to take advantage of its participation in the 2018 World Cup, hosted by Russia, to achieve some economic gains. Egypt
The unorthodox theory behind Erdogan's monetary policy Economists and investors are not buying the controversial economic theory invoked by Turkey’s president to justify low interest rates in the face of high inflation and the lira's collapse. Turkey
Egypt to float state shares to boost stock market The Egyptian government has decided to sell shares in state-owned companies as part of the series of economic reforms connected to its $12 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. Egypt